If you love winter, you’re going to love Japan! This is part two of the four part series of “10 things you’ll miss from Japan”, the first part is all about food and it is glorious.
If you have friends who love skiing, you’ve probably heard them talk about Japan in winter. You’re not going to find that in my list today, because I don’t do exercise and extreme sports is scary. Yes, I’m sad like that. But what you will find here are 10 other things that make Japan winter so awesome…
1. Heated toilet seats
It is no surprise that the first one in my list is heated toilet seats. Because, warm toilet seats during winter is the best feeling ever.
Yes, you can probably get this in your home country too, but I’m talking about getting this almost anywhere and everywhere in Japan. This include hotels and public toilets. And once you’ve experienced this, you can never go back to your cold toilet seats and feel the same again.
2. New Year Fukubukuro & time sale
This is something that got me really excited about visiting Japan. Why? Because sale = cheap shopping = best thing ever! And here’s how Wikipedia describes fukubukuro:
Fukubukuro (福袋, “lucky bag”) is a Japanese New Year custom in which merchants make grab bags filled with unknown random contents and sell them for a substantial discount. The term is formed from Japanese fuku (福, meaning “good fortune” or “luck”) and fukuro (袋, meaning “bag”).
Most stores open on the 2nd day of January, however stores along Harajuku’s Takeshita-dori and LaForet open from the first. Apart from fukubukuro sale, many stores also do “time sale”, a period of time where they have extra sale going on in the store. I snapped some good already-discounted stuff from Wego with another 10% off during a half an hour time sale, for example.
Japan’s New Year sale is awesome and the crowd is mad, so go crazy!
3. Snow covered cities or small towns
The first image on this post was taken in Shirakawa-go in December 2013 and seriously, I went snow-photo-crazy that day. I love snow, most probably because we don’t get snow in Australia much (unless you go to the mountains). So when we visited Sapporo in mid-December 2014 and saw fresh snow falling from the sky when we woke up, I was gleefully happy.
4. Watching celebrity-filled countdown live music shows on TV
Towards the end of the year, Japan TV will have plenty of countdown or recap shows to look back at the year. Their music countdown shows were star-studded with so many popular Japanese musicians that we all know and love.
I even made a point to return to the hotel earlier one night so we could catch one of these countdown shows. I mean, what’s better than to spend a cold winter night in the hotel with some snacks from the convenient stores and great music on TV?!
5. Winter fashion
No matter which time of the year, I love watching Japanese girls walking around in their pretty dresses and unique styles. Winter is no different.
The coats, the boots, and the accessories. Ah! I want to live there just so I could buy all the cute winter jackets and wear them out looking perfectly gorgeous! ;p
6. Night lights & illumination
I love Japan in December for one main reason: illumination! Yup, right before Christmas (sometimes from November until February, even) plenty of malls, theme parks, parks, and other places around Japan would have light up events and illuminations that are so beautiful you wish it can be that way everywhere in the world!
Here are a few that we saw (and I will post more photos some other time)!
7. Watching the scenery while on public commute
Many people have talked about seeing Japan during cherry blossom season in spring or when the autumn leaves are falling in the later part of the year. I found that seeing Japan during winter, especially when you’re commuting by train or shinkansen is also equally, if not more, beautiful!
Highlight would have to be seeing Mt Fuji from the shinkansen on our way to Kyoto! :)
8. Christmas celebration
Christmas is not something that is usually celebrated by the Japanese, or so you’ve been told by many people. Yes, the Japanese probably thought Christmas is all about Santa rather than Jesus, but if you’re just looking for a celebration (or a commercialised affair) then Japan is the place to go. Seriously, they know how to make a festive season festive!
Japanese couples would usually spend Christmas Eve by going out on dates and eating cakes. For everyone else, there are illuminations, parties, and other things to see. Seriously, you will know when it’s Christmas time in Japan.
9. Cheap winter accessories
You’re freezing, but you’re only going to be in Japan for a few weeks and don’t want to invest on winter accessories, such as earmuffs or thick stockings. Worry not, because the amount of affordable winter accessories will give you the comfort to enjoy Japan’s winter without breaking the bank.
I’m talking about ¥100 shops or Uniqlo and GU, where you can find winter accessories for less than $5. And still look fashionable too!
10. Perfect weather for hot springs
Dipping in an onsen while the weather is cold has to be one of the best feelings ever! And because onsen is so popular on the list of “very Japanese things to do in Japan”, the best time to experience it will be during the colder months.
Just remember that, for those who are not willing to go naked or wish to enjoy onsen with members of the opposite sex, there are some mixed gender swimsuit onsen in Japan that I’ve tried and tested. The one in Hakone is almost like a theme park and you can spend hours there, else the other one in Shin-Urayasu (near Disney) is also worth going for a half-day trip.
Time to book your flight for next winter in Japan, maybe? Remember, there are also snow/ice festivals and special light-ups at different places around Japan in winter. So plan your trip well and you’ll get to see the best of Japan during the cold season!
When’s your ideal time to see Japan and why? Comment below!